By Umar Dankano Yola.
Some communities in Adamawa and Borno states of North East zone are witnessing a major community-driven transformative initiative meant for the empowerment of rural residents who have suffered violent conflicts.
The initiative being implemented by the Oxfam Nigeria in collaboration with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and national partners is happening in three local government areas of Guyuk (Adamawa), Biu and Kwaya Kusar(Borno) respectively.
These partners roll out a grant accessing competition to solely empower the local communities as a support to improving social cohesion through community dev eploment planning in the political wards in Guyuk, Biu and Kwaya Kusar LGAs.
Funded by the German Government (BMZ) and the European Union, the 24-month programme seeks to strengthen citizen participation in governance, promote social cohesion, and enhance inclusive community development in 31 wards across the three local government areas.
Unveiling the project, Oxfam Nigeria Country Director, Mr. Tijani Ahmed Hamza, explained the essence of the Ward Development Support Committee Grant Competition under the project “Support to Improving Social Cohesion through Community Development Planning.”
Hamza said that limited citizens participation in governance has led to interventions that do not fully reflect local needs, especially in the North East states that are facing high impact of insecurity and violent conflicts.
“In the Northeast region, this is further compounded by years of conflict, displacement, and socio-economic challenges.The project addresses these gaps by promoting inclusive, participatory planning and strengthening social cohesion across the LGAs.
“The grant competition is designed to provide financial incentives to support implementation of priority projects, thereby improving the lives of those most in need. The accountability framework encourages broader participation and promotes healthy innovation among communities,” Hamza added.
The CDP Project Coordinator, Samuel Lashom, took time to highlight the assessment criteria while wishing all the WDSCs the best.
Lashom advanced that, the initiative will provide financial awards to top-performing WDSCs, enabling them to scale up self-help initiatives such as infrastructure improvements, social services, local economic empowerment, and
Lashom stressed that the grant competition goes beyond funding as it serves as a platform to deepen transparency, accountability, and inclusive participation.
He noted that the Communities will demonstrate how projects are selected, funded, and implemented, with emphasis on gender sensitivity, social inclusion, and benefits to vulnerable populations.
He said that Independent evaluation teams will assess projects based on impact, inclusiveness, resource mobilization, and community participation reiterating that, the process is expected to reinforce trust between citizens and government while encouraging broader stakeholder engagement, including private sector and philanthropic support.
In his remarks, Mr.Joseph Gyandi, the Executive Director, CRUDAN explained the partners’ role saying “We study the concerns of the people,communities, and analyze their problems, then encourage them to find solutions together. Our aim is for people to take ownership of projects within their domain.”
Participants in the project like Bello Zunge Zawakwallo of Guyuk Local Government Council, David Thomas Zimthiri from Dumna Ward and Mary Gideon from Bodeno Ward expressed “exceeding gratitude” for the intervention.
They confessed that, With the introduction of the grant competition, stakeholders anticipate a significant scale-up of community-led initiatives, improved service delivery, and stronger, more resilient local governance systems.
The North-East region has endured over a decade of conflict, displacement, and socio-economic disruption, resulting in weakened governance systems, limited citizen engagement, and heightened vulnerability—particularly among women and marginalized groups. In response, the project adopts a bottom-up approach that places communities at the center of decision-making.
The highlight of the occasion was the formal launch of the Ward Development Grant Competition by Oxfam Country Director Mr. Tijani Ahmed Hamza explaining that the competition will be conducted in two phases including a pilot and a grand finale
